Archery Day 5

"The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind."
-Fred Bear

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, keep aiming." 

-Author unknown

Our last day on the range consisted of numerous competitions and a lot of shooting. Individual progress was easy to see, and the scores got better and better.

Archery Project - Day 4

We started the day with a warm up session using resistance bands to stretch and strengthen our upper bodies. The instructors brought a few new bows to try, including a compound bow and two new competition recurve bows. 

After a few warm up rounds of shooting, we started an official 10-round/3-arrow competition. Several archers impressed us by their improvement and accuracy. Scores were kept and the competition was fierce. Solomon and Egor were our top two shooters, with Fran the most improved. 

We continued to shoot after lunch, with several people trying different bows. Egor continued to film, as did Tim, even though he got seven stitches (from a weightlifting accident) in his middle finger last night. We are ending the day with a few research presentations, and a discussion of what the next two days will bring.

The NHS Archery Project week has given me a good opportunity to learn a new skill. I got the chance to shoot arrows by bow for the first time. I learned not only to be a great archer but also to be a respectful and safe archer. I learned a lot by paying attention to the instructors, because listening helps me become better.

Thank you!
-Andres Y.

Compared to the first day, I have made a lot of improvements on aiming at the target. The first day, I could not even get close to the middle of the target. However, with the instructors help, I figured out that I always need to follow directions in order to shoot where I want to. As soon as I was able to hit the target in the middle (yellow), that made me very excited and happy during archery.
-Andrew J.

I didn't think that today's shooting was a competition because I just wanted to relax and practice shooting. I didn't want to think about my score, I wanted to shoot well and get better.
-Jun L

Archery Update - Day 3

After two days of safety training and learning proper technique, the NHS Archers had a full day of practice at the range in the lower gym. All archers have made solid progress, as shown by improving target scores. The instructors have been impressed by the focus of each new archer. Along with improving archery skills, we have been learning about a variety of bows and shooting equipment. The students have also been working on individual research projects during the afternoon, and we will start presenting those tomorrow.

Today I tried to hold the bow in a more appropriate way, using only two fingers instead of my whole hand. This way I could hold the bow better by using a better grip. This improved my aim and scores.

I learned how to shoot with my head down, so I improved on my accuracy and grouping arrows.

We get to look at how our partners shoot and correct them if they had any mistakes.

I can tell that we all improved by looking at the arrows in the target.

We are still working on our listening skills, but other than that it is all good.

The past three days of the Archery Project have brought a lot of excitement and new knowledge! On the first day, we met our instructors, Vicky and Dana. Dana is the head instructor at the Art of Archery, a private business he founded. On the first day we learned the mandatory safety regulations, shooting form, and that archery is not as easy as it is shown in the movies. On the second day we had lots of shooting practice, and we started our research projects. I am researching the way archery is portrayed in modern film. We shot about 30 arrows and my accuracy improved each round, and by the end of the day at least one shot hit the X in the middle of the target. Today my accuracy was worse, even though we shot over 45 arrows. Egor has been filming us with his GO PRO camera as we shoot, and he made a slow motion video, including different perspectives, which we will show at the Project Symposium.

In this project, we have learned how to shoot an arrow with a bow. We set up 10 meters away from the target so we could each practice shooting. We first learned the position of shooting, including: you only use your index finger and thumb to hold your bow; you only use your index finger, middle finger, and your ring finger to hold your arrow; you need to have a correct way to put your arrow on your bow for your safety.

Archery Project

We are making plans for our temporary archery range in the lower gym where we will learn the history and art of archery! Our Essential Question is:

What is the history of archery and how is it practiced today?

We can't wait to learn about this fascinating sport. In addition to our EQ, we are looking forward to answering these questions throughout the week, as well as learning how to shoot straight!

• How long has archery been practiced? 
• Where did it begin? 
• How does a bow work?
• What are the modern improvements to this ancient weapon?